Reading from the beginning, you follow the story of one of the main characters, Alain, during World War II. We spend quite some time learning about Alain during this time, establishing his relationship with his fellow vampires and later, his soon-to-be wife, Marie. In large part, these chapters are flavor text; they’re meant to give us a connection to Alain’s character before we get into the meat of the story. While they certainly accomplish that, the story feels somewhat disjointed – at least for a short time -when we jump suddenly ahead to modern day in chapter 9. This is primarily due to the fact that until now, we’ve barely been laying down the foundation of the story -  only once we meet the second main character, Kurt, does the plot begin materializing in the direction it will take for the rest of the series. Soon enough, we have three protagonists – Alain and Kurt, and as a side character, George – and one strong antagonist, Vinnie, that push the plot ahead and into the depths of Hell. No, really; read the series title. They’re taking a trip through Hell.

This is, without a doubt, my favorite bit of fiction that I’ve stumbled on yet. One of the greatest triumphs of this writing is certainly the characters: Kurt and Alain both quickly prove to be sympathetic and personable, each with his own struggles and flaws and triumphs. The world-building is solid and vivid as they progress throughout the inferno. The author has created a varied cast, given them clear goals for the audience to root for, and tackled the challenge of keeping the reader along for the perilous journey. This is definitely a story worth reading!

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